Julia Strike
Even if you don’t know Julia Strike very well personally, everyone can tell that she’s just about the sweetest girl on campus. She loves horses and sunny days, but don’t be deceived--she’s also not afraid to get her hands dirty (or bloody, on Chicken Day). She’s a perfect example of “don’t judge a book by it’s cover.” If you ever need a workout buddy, someone to harmonize with, or a movie recommendation, Julia is your gal. We had the honor of sitting on Julia’s floor one night before bed check to ask her some questions:
Flash: When and where?
Julia: *after yawn* November 17, 1998, in Glendale, AZ, but we lived in Phoenix at the time.
F: Tell us about your first time riding a horse.
J: Probably in a circle at the fair. It’s weird to think about now, but I used to be scared of horses. I loved them, but I was just so little and they were so big. Oh, on Chicken Day, Christine would bring a horse named Mindy out, so I remember riding her a lot.
F: What is ‘Chicken Day’?
J: Oh boy. Well, we’d go to the Boernsen’s before 8 am. Some people were there to kill the chickens. Then there was a family who gutted them and had a machine to defeather them. We drained the blood, cut half or whole depending on the order, and cleaned the gizzards to send with the chicken.
[We had to ask Julia to walk us through this process about three times, and we probably still didn’t get it right..]
F: Any workout tips?
J: Just do it or you never will. Breathe out when you’re doing the work, breathe in when you’re not. It just feels so good! Like it may not be fun while you’re doing it, but you just feel so great and healthy, especially when you start seeing results. I love ab workouts; I just love them. Also, sometimes Zachary and I run together in the summer. You get a tan and a workout; it’s great!
F: Any advice for underclassmen?
J: Be yourself. Don’t try to change yourself to please others.
F: What is your go-to order at Coldstone?
J: PB Perfection is my go-to, but I like to try something new, too. Since I can’t have gluten, I like that I can sub in things for Oreos and stuff to make new creations.
F: What will you miss most about ILC?
J: It will be totally different not seeing you guys everyday. And I’ll miss everyone, but especially you guys, the dorm girls in my class.
F: Any special childhood memories you’d like to share?
J: We have done so many house projects. Ohmygoodness. There was summer of the rocks, where we dug up rocks from around our house to use for the siding. And we redid the dusty creepy attic to make it into a nice den (the wood we used for the floor is from Ingram’s ballroom!). I also remember switching bedrooms a lot. One time we got home after visiting our grandparents to find that our parents had switched all our rooms and we had to guess which room was whose.
FAVORITES:
“I don’t really have many favorites...I like everything. I’m bad at decisions. Make them for me; I’ll enjoy anything.”
Color: Purple
Scent: Sweet Pea, any essential oils
Snack: Salted almonds, fruit--especially bananas. I love smoothies.
Place to get sunburned: *laughs for eternity* I guess anywhere. I love being outside. I forget about sunscreen. No chemical junk for me.